The New York Times just reported that Turkey’s top military commanders resigned en masse today.

This development is a negative one for NATO, Turkey, and the broader Middle East.

Historically, the Turkish military has been the sole guarantor of stability in Turkey since the rise of Atatürkism following the Ottoman Empire’s fall. Atatürkism was primarily responsible for the emergence of a more secular society in Turkey, and helped reduce the more pernicious elements of radical Islam in that country.

The resignations followed a year in which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government arrested more than 40 generals, roughly one tenth of the senior command.

This is an extremely negative development as NATO’s second-largest military is now leaderless, and Turkey is left with a government that commentators have long suspected had a strong Islamist agenda.